Doris McLemore
| Doris McLemore | |
|---|---|
| File:DorisMcLemore.png
Doris McLemore in 2010
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| Born | Doris Jean Lamar McLemore April 16, 1927 Anadarko, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | Wichita Native American |
| Occupation | Teacher (of Wichita language classes) |
| Known for | Last fluent speaker of the Wichita language |
Doris Jean Lamar McLemore (born April 16, 1927) is the last fluent speaker of the Wichita language,[1] a Caddoan language spoken by the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, indigenous to Oklahoma.
Early life
McLemore was born in 1927 in Anadarko, Oklahoma.[2] Her mother was Wichita and her father was European-American.[3] McLemore was raised by her fullblood Wichita maternal grandparents, and Wichita was her first language.[4]
McLemore graduated from Indian boarding school in 1947 and spent 30 years working as house mother there.[4] She married twice and had a son and two daughters.[4] In 1959 McLemore moved back to live near Gracemont, Oklahoma to live among her relatives.
Language preservation work
In 1962, McLemore met David Rood, a linguist from the University of Colorado, and they have collaborated to preserve the Wichita language ever since then.[3]
McLemore teaches language classes for the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes[5] and is collaborating with linguist David Rood to create a dictionary and language CDs.[3]
"Doris is amazing for being able to retain as much as she does without having anyone to speak it to on a daily basis," says former Wichita tribal chairman, Gary McAdams.[4]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Last fluent speaker of Wichita tribal language preserves what's left." Dallas Morning News.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ruckman, S. E. "Tribal language fading away." Tulsa World. 26 Nov 2007 (retrieved 3 Oct 2009)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Somby, Liv Inger, published USA: The Last to Speak Wichita Language. Gáldu. (retrieved 3 Oct 2009)
- ↑ Wichita Language Class. Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. 18 Feb 2009 (retrieved 3 Oct 2009)
